Early to Rise
by Mr.GreyHoody
Summary: Harry Potter receives a mystery package at the age of nine. Now, his life is changed completely.
1. Chapter 1

First and foremost, I obviously don't hold rights to Harry Potter…unfortunately…

I decided that I'd take a crack at my own 'revision' of Harry Potter. I suppose you could consider this a 'what if?' story. This story is the child of JK's books and my own musings.

* * *

**Early to Rise**

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**I**  
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Harry Potter was a small nine year old boy living with his 'loving' relatives. After being scolded yet again by dear uncle Vernon, young Harry finally finished the dishes. He ate a meager portion of the leftovers from dinner before being locked up in his cupboard for the night. As he jumped into his bed, he grunted from an object that hadn't been there this morning. Sitting up, he pulled the heavy package to his knees.

"What's this?" he whispered. Harry never got mail, or presents…Harry never got anything.

As he looked over the package with a skeptical eye, he read a message on the top. 'To Mr. Harry James Potter.' However, there was no 'from' section. Harry gently ripped open the package, making sure his relatives wouldn't hear. The last thing Harry wanted was for whatever this package was to be confiscated.

After discarding the wrapping, Harry inspected what seemed to be an old wooden box. Quirking a brow, he finally decided to open it. As he tentatively raised the lid, he noticed a letter.

Taking the letter from the box, he saw five rather large books and a few journals, as well as some other odd items.

Harry got closer to the dim light over his bed, squinting to make out the words.

.

'_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I am a friend, first and foremost. However, I cannot reveal my name. Just know that I am only attempting to look after you._

_At times, you may think this is a joke, but Harry I beg you, take this letter seriously._

_There is a world hidden from yours that you never would have imagined. Harry Potter, you are a wizard. Both your parents, James and Lily Potter, were wizards also. You were told that they died in a car accident. That is simply not the truth. They died protecting you and defending our world from destruction. The one who murdered them: The Dark Lord, Voldemort. In our world, he is never called by name. He is referred to by: He-who-must-not-be-named, or You-know-who. Some say that he is gone, but he will return one day. Whenever that day comes, it will be far too soon in my opinion._

_In our world, you are a legend. So I ask you to please remain humble._

_In two years, you will be invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, you've been left with your vile relatives, who I'm sure haven't mentioned anything of the magical world. Therefore, you will be at a severe disadvantage upon going to school. That's where I've decided to help you._

_In the box where you found this letter, I've placed some books. Two of them are history books, one solely on Hogwarts, and the other on magic as a whole. Then there is a potions book, a Defense Against the Dark Arts book, and a Charms book. Also, I've added some journals that will help you learn a few things, and introduce you more to the magical world. These books are charmed so that any non-magic folk, or Muggles as we call them, will see them as random children's books._

_I've given you an old wand to practice with. But be careful Harry. You don't want your relatives to find out._

_I wish you all the luck in the world Harry Potter. Stay strong, and never change._

_ V/r,_

_ A Friend_

_P.S.- You might want to spend quite a bit of time on the red journal. Occlumency to be more specific. It may come in handy._'

.

Harry put the letter aside and rummaged through the box, picking up the wand. He looked at it for a moment, then started to chuckle.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" he whispered. Then he remembered the part about his parents, causing him to frown. He wanted to confront his uncle, thinking it was some vile prank by him, but decided against it.

Harry thought for a moment. As ridiculous as it all sounded, what if it could be true? Shaking his head, he looked back to the box and wand. He smiled, 'Well, at least I have something to play with.' He decided.

Little did Harry know, in a few short days, his 'playing' would turn into something much, much more.

He spent the next two years diligently studying the books and journals he had received. Practicing every night in private, making sure he would never be found out by his relatives until the time came.

* * *

Harry lay in his small bed staring into the darkness of the cupboard. He had finished his nightly practice a few hours ago, but he couldn't sleep. Tonight was a special night, for in only a few minutes he would be eleven! Not that he particularly cared how old he was, but that means that he would be going to Hogwarts this year. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Staring at his alarm clock, he waited as the red numbers changed from 11:58, to 11:59. Only one minute to go, but it seemed like time decided to take a nap. Harry almost couldn't take it; the suspense was bringing out his anxiety more and more as the seconds passed him by.

12:00

Harry smiled, rolling over to face the wall, "Happy birthday Harry." He whispered to himself.

Just then, Harry jolted up from hearing a loud thud from the hallway. Hearing someone walking toward the stairs he put his hand over his mouth, fearing that the intruder might hear his breathing. As Harry noticed the thumps of the person's steps hadn't gone up the stairs, but rather right in front of the cupboard door, he froze.

Panic overtook him as a thousand thoughts ran through his mind. Just as he was about to back up even closer to the wall, the door swung open. Harry shut his eyes tightly, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Harry?" a deep voice questioned.

The boy contemplated whether he should reply or not. Just then, something occurred to him. 'What am I doing? I can do magic…Why am I being a wimp?' he asked himself.

As the fear quickly abated, he opened his eyes, seeing a pair of large orbs staring back at him. "Yes." He said.

The hulk of a man smiled wide, pulling young Harry out of his 'room' and giving him a tight hug.

Harry gasped, "Sir…Sir, I can't breathe." He struggled to say.

The man quickly put him down and released him, "Oh, sorry 'bout that Arry. It's just; I haven't seen ya in so long."

Harry quirked a brow, "I don't think I've ever seen you sir."

The man chuckled, "Well a 'course ya have. You was just a wee baby then though." The man grinned, "The names Hagrid."

Harry didn't know why, but he felt at ease next to this giant man, causing him to smile a genuine smile. Something he doesn't do all that often. "Well Hagrid, It's nice to meet you."

As they were shaking, Harry heard someone barreling down the stairs.

"What's the meaning of this!" uncle Vernon screamed. Harry turned to see that his uncle had a shotgun pointed at his new friend. "You, get out of my house, NOW!" He bellowed.

Hagrid gingerly walked up to Vernon and bent the barrel of the shotgun with ease. "Piss off Dursley." Is all he said before walking back to Harry.

The young boy was astounded, but decided against saying anything. Hagrid put his hand on Harry's shoulder and turned his gaze to Vernon. "Arry's goin to Hogwarts this year. If he ain't on the train when it leaves from Kings Cross Station, I'll be comin for ya Dursley. Understand." He said more than asked.

Vernon, still shocked over the ease with which this man bent his shotgun, sputtered, "Ye…Yes."

"Good."

Harry smiled, "I never expected my invitation to be like this."

Hagrid quirked a brow, "What? You mean you knew about Hogwarts and that you're a wizard?" he asked, a bit nervous.

Harry was going to tell Hagrid all about the package he had received two years ago. But after noticing his tone, decided against it. "Well, I got a letter two years ago telling me all about it. At first I thought it was just a joke. But I guess you're proof that it wasn't." He stated, trying to hide the fact that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Huh? Who was it from?"

Harry shrugged, "Don't know. The person just said that they were a friend, nothing more."

The mountain of a man seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. Suddenly, he looked a bit anxious. "Well, Arry, I've got to be goin. Here's your official invitation, and instructions on how the Hogwarts Express works." He said, quickly handing harry two envelopes.

Harry nodded, "Thank you Hagrid."

The man smiled and nodded back. As he was leaving, he turned to Vernon again. "Remember what I said. Oh, and also, make sure you get him to the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow afternoon. I'll be waiting there."

Vernon vigorously shook his head up and down, "Of course."

Harry watched as Hagrid picked the door up and put it back in place, vanishing from sight. It made him feel a bit uneasy how the man became so nervous just because Harry knew about the magical world. But, nothing could ruin this night for him.

The young boy smiled. He had final received what he'd been waiting for. Now, he just had to endure his relatives long enough to start 'school.'

* * *

If Harry thought uncle Vernon was mad last night after Hagrid had left, today, he was outright enraged. They were just arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, which Harry was more than thankful for. After the verbal beating he took during the car ride, he was beyond ecstatic to see Hagrid again.

Vernon opened the door to the pub and shoved Harry inside, causing him to bump into someone.

"Oh, sorry sir, I…" He began, but quickly smiled, "Hagrid!"

The man chuckled and gave the young boy a pat on the shoulder, "Good ta see ya Arry."

Hagrid directed Harry toward the back of the pub, motioning for Vernon to take a seat and not move until they return.

Once they got to the back of the pub, Hagrid opened the door to Diagon Alley, causing Harry to look on in amusement. However, before they entered, Hagrid asked to see the letter from two years ago. Luckily for Harry, he always kept it on his person.

After a few minutes of studying, Hagrid handed the parchment back to Harry and sighed, "Well…I suppose I don't have much else to fill ya in on." And so, they entered Diagon Alley.

.

They had gone to Gringots and picked up some money so Harry could buy all the necessary school supplies. Harry decided to take a bit more so he could buy extra books. After all, he had spent the last two years reading and re-reading the same information. He hated studying at one point, but after the past couple of years, he noticed that he was actually happy reading books. Even if he did read it twenty times. Although, it would be nice to have some new reading material.

Hagrid also picked something up from the bank, though he wouldn't even hint at what it was. As curious as Harry had been, he decided against pushing the subject.

After picking up all of his school supplies, and quite a few extra books, Harry went to buy a wand.

Once that ordeal was over with, he met up with Hagrid, who bought him a little birthday gift. Harry's eyes widened at the sight of such a beautiful bird. "Hagrid, she's amazing!" he exclaimed.

Hagrid chuckled, "I think she feels the same way, Arry." He stated, noticing how excited the owl seemed.

After all the shopping was done, Hagrid returned Harry to Vernon, who was not at all pleased at being stuck in such a 'foolish place' as he put it. Hagrid instructed him to take Harry home, and make sure to bring him to King's Cross Station on time, reminding him of what would happen if he didn't.

* * *

This was it. Harry was about to leave the Muggle world behind for the better part of the next year. And he had to say, he was pretty damn excited.

Hagrid's instructions said to go to the third pillar after platform nine, but before ten. He stared at the pillar, slightly anxious. Hagrid had said to simply run into it, and he'd be in a different area completely.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath. 'Well, if this works...awesome. If not, everyone in the station will think i'm an idiot.' he chuckled to himself.

Looking around quickly, he made sure no one was looking. He did notice a number of red heads approaching, but they were far off enough that he didn't worry.

Taking one more deep breath, he started pushing his cart toward the pillar, picking up speed. Just as he was about to hit the bricks, he closed his eyes.

After a second, noticing that he hadn't hit anything, he quickly opened his eyes again. He gasped, slowing his cart to a stop, looking around in amazement. He was definitely still in the station, but this was a different place. That was for sure. There were tons of people walking around with owls, toads, cats, and rats. Bundles of books and robes. Old folk with funny hats, and young folk, looking just as lost as he was.

After looking around in astonishment for a few more moments, Harry glanced at his ticket. Then he realized, he had never taken a train before. He really didn't know where he was supposed to go with the ticket.

He saw a young girl, about his age, walking briskly toward a man near the front of the train. He quickly caught up to her and got her attention, "Excuse me, miss, I'm sorry to bug you, but I've never taken a train before."

The girl looked at the boy walking next to her, holding out his ticket and looking like an idiot. But, she remembered her first time taking a train, and if it hadn't been for her mother, she definitely would have been lost. So, she smiled, "Follow me, I'll show you how it works."

Harry smiled back, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

The girl nodded, but didn't say anything else.

She walked up to the man who was punching tickets, handing hers over. The man quickly punched and handed it back, looking quite irritated with how his life turned out. Harry walked up to him next, following the girls example.

Once his ticket was punched, the girl directed him into one of the train cars. She found a cabin at the far end of the car and entered.

As Harry entered the same cabin, he saw she was having trouble getting her trunk on the shelf.

"Here, let me." he said, taking the trunk from her and easily placing it up on the shelf.

Once he put his own trunk up, he sat down opposite the girl. "What?" he asked, noticing how she was looking at him.

She looked away slightly, "Why are you sitting with me?" she asked shyly.

Harry chuckled, "Well, why not?" he asked. Then, noticing her expression change to something of nervousness, his features drooped, "Unless you want me to leave."

She quickly looked up at him, "No. No, it's just...people don't usually like to be around me." At this, she once again looked away.

Harry quirked a brow, "Why's that?"

She sighed, "Well, for starters, I'm kind of bossy. I'm also a big bookworm and everyone always calls me a know it all..." she began, but ended up trailing off.

Harry chuckled again, "So what. I'm a bit of a bookworm myself." He stated, pulling his trunk down and opening it to show her.

The girl glanced at his trunk, then her eyes suddenly went wide, "Wow!" she exclaimed, "Where did you get all these?" she asked in genuine excitement. The girl noticed that he had all of his school books, but he also had a lot of extra books.

Harry smiled, "I found most of them at the bookstore in Diagon Alley, but a few of them were gifts." He replied, referring to the books he received from the mystery 'friend' two years ago.

She smiled and looked up to the boy's eyes, "I'm Hermione." she said, bringing her hand up.

Harry grinned back at her, "Harry." He said, taking her hand and shaking it.

* * *

A/N: I know that it's a bit jumpy, sorry about that. I just wanted to get the beginning part out of the way.

Let me know what you think. I like both good and bad reviews. This is just the start, so it will get better.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Harry Potter.

Also, I'm not going to bother describing what each of the characters look like just yet. If you're reading a Harry Potter fanfic, I'm assuming you know what they look like so I won't waste either of our time until something changes.

* * *

Early to Rise

II

* * *

Just as the two concluded their handshake, the door to the cabin slid open. "Want anything from the cart dears?" An older woman inquired.

Harry looked over all the treats on the small cart, wondering what half of them were. He glanced to his riding companion, "You want anything?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head, "No. I don't really like sweets."

Harry returned his attention to the cart lady, "I think we're okay for now, thanks."

The older woman smiled, "Very well, have a pleasant ride then." She said warmly, pushing her cart along to the next cabin.

Hermione looked at him questioningly, which the boy didn't fail to notice, "What is it?" he asked.

The young girl shrugged, "I figured you'd get something is all."

"I didn't want to if you weren't." he smiled "Bad manners and all."

She chuckled, "Well thank you, I suppose."

Harry bowed jokingly, "You're very welcome."

Hermione continued to chuckle, "You're an odd one, Harry…" she began, realizing she didn't know the boy's last name.

Harry averted his gaze slightly, knowing that his name was a famous one. Finally, he decided he would reveal his identity. After all, it would get out soon anyway, he supposed.

"Potter."

Hermione stiffened, "Wha…What! Harry Potter!" she almost shouted.

Harry hushed her, "I don't want everyone to know." He said quietly.

The young girl quirked a brow, "Why not? You're famous Harry!" She said, quieting her voice a bit.

"Exactly. I don't want that kind of attention." He said, almost sadly.

"Why not?"

Harry sighed, "Well, I was a baby when _that_ happened. It's not like I remember it. I didn't even do anything."

Hermione looked astounded, "Harry, you were the only person to resist You-Know-Who. That's something to be proud of."

The boy shook his head, "No. Like I said, I didn't do anything."

Hermione was about to continue, but after noticing how Harry seemed a bit upset, decided against it.

Instead, she asked to look through his collection of books, which he gladly allowed. "I finished reading all of my school books a while ago. I memorized almost all of the material of course." She said, a tad pompously he thought, but it didn't bother him.

Harry smirked, "Well, I've read most of them. Actually, the only one I didn't finish is _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_." He seemed to ponder something for a moment, "Although, I wish I started with that one. I think I'm going to enjoy potions."

"I'm impressed Mr. Potter. I bet most of the other first-years haven't even opened a single one of their books yet."

"Like I said before, I'm a bit of a bookworm myself." He yawned, "I find all this magical stuff interesting. Probably because it was an escape from…" he began, trailing off with a noticeably saddened expression.

Hermione frowned, "Escape from what?" she asked. However, noticing Harry's face droop even further, she added, "If it really bothers you, then never mind."

Harry took a deep breath, "I grew up with my aunt and uncle, and my cousin, Dudley." He began. "They weren't the most…loving family. Dudley beat me up a lot, and I never fought back because I was afraid of my uncle. I lived in a cupboard under the stairs and…" He sighed, "Well, I don't really want to say much more if that's okay."

Hermione was unsettled by this new information. Why would someone's own family treat them like that? "No. Don't tell me anything you don't want to." She stated.

After a few minutes of silence, Harry noticed the girl staring at him, "Hermione?"

She took out her wand, which caused Harry to stiffen a bit, "_Oculus Reparo_." The young witch muttered while tapping the rim of Harry's glasses. Harry had practiced quite a few spells over the past two years, and he was quite good at most of them, but he had never read about this charm. He was amazed when the bandage disappeared and his glasses were mended perfectly.

He cheered, "Thanks! Where did you learn that, it wasn't in any of the books I have."

Hermione allowed herself to bask in the praise for a moment before replying, "It's a variety of the _Reparo_ charm."

Harry adopted a puzzled look, "I thought you just used the _Reparo_ charm for any object."

"Yes. But if you use one of the specific charms, it works a lot better, and faster." She informed him.

The boy chuckled, "Well. Thank you Miss…" he began.

"Granger."

"Thank you Miss Granger, I would have never known."

The rest of the train ride went by without much excitement. Hermione had asked to read one of Harry's books, which he gladly handed to her. He noticed that she seemed to be completely enthralled with it, more so than he was when reading a book for the first time.

Harry also started reading one of his new books. However, when he started to get tired, he noticed that he was only done about a quarter of his book, while Hermione was done nearly three quarters of hers.

He smiled, "I guess you really are a bookworm."

Hermione looked up suddenly, then looked away, almost ashamed. Harry quickly realized that she didn't take it as a compliment, "Hermione. That's I good thing in my opinion."

She looked up again, a very slight smile visible on her lips, "Thanks. But I don't think many of the other students will agree with you." She said gloomily, returning to the book.

Harry shrugged, "Their loss." Is all he said as the train started to slow down.

Noticing the decrease in speed, Hermione looked out the window. She smiled, knowing that life was about to get a whole lot more interesting. Closing the book, she handed it back to Harry.

The boy shook his head, "No. Keep it until you're done." He said, looking back out the window.

Hermione grinned slightly and put it in the pocket of her cloak, "Thanks."

Harry nodded, "Don't mention it." Turning to her, he smiled, "I know how frustrating it is to start a book and not finish it."

The girl smiled back, nodding in return.

Just then, the train jerked to a halt accompanied by a deafening screech. Harry stood up, taking his trunk from the shelf. Noticing Hermione was once again having difficulty with her heavy trunk; he reached over her and took it down. She turned around, averting her gaze, "Thanks." She said, almost in a whisper.

Harry smirked, "No problem." After stretching and a long drawn out sigh, he asked, "Are you ready, Hermione?"

She took a deep breath and smiled a big, toothy smile, "Absolutely."

.

After happily greeting Hagrid again and introducing him to Hermione, Harry found himself on one of the many small boats briskly floating toward the great castle.

Hermione had boarded the same boat as him, followed by a somewhat tall red-head and an almost depressed looking boy named Neville.

As the small fleet was getting closer to the castle, Hermione looked on in amazement, as did Harry. The red-head was saying something about how his brothers didn't tell him how awesome the old castle looked in person.

Before long, the group was waiting outside the Great Hall for an older witch, Professor McGonagall to return.

Soon after she left, a skinny, pale, grimy looking boy had walked up to him, "You there, I've heard whispers that you're Harry Potter." He stated with an heir of arrogance, "Is it true?"

Harry eyed the boy for a moment, noticing his smug expression, "Yes."

"Well then, let me be the first of our year to greet you. I'm Draco Malfoy." He said, holding out his hand.

Harry didn't take it, "I've already met someone from our year, thank you." He said, motioning to Hermione.

The boy laughed, "She hardly counts. Someone like her shouldn't even be here. The filthy mudblood."

At this, Harry noticed Hermione look away, clearly hurt by the comment. He remembered something in one of the journals about the word mudblood. Specifically that it was used as a vile insult.

Harry clenched his fists, but refrained from doing anything he might regret. It was his first day after all. However, that didn't stop him from saying what was on his mind. "So, I suppose I should be spending my time with someone like you then. Is that right?"

The boy nodded, "Of course, the Malfoy family is…" he began, but was quickly cut off by an angry Mr. Potter.

"Just so you know, I would much rather associate myself with Miss Granger than someone as closed minded as you. I guarantee that she knows more about magic now than you will your entire life. So don't come to me with that derogatory drivel, you spoiled prat!" he exclaimed.

All the other students were staring at him. Most were glad that someone put the Malfoy boy in his place. He had been bothering almost everyone on the train. Hermione, on the other hand, was beyond joyful that someone stood up for her. After all, she had been afraid that someone might use the fact that she was muggle born to insult her. It was good to know that someone was already looking out for her.

Malfoy was taken aback. No one had ever talked to him like that, but before he could come up with a decent rebuttal, Professor McGonagall had returned.

"Students, line up if you will. Follow me to the Great Hall. It's time to be sorted into your houses."

The young witches and wizards did as instructed, Harry placing himself behind Hermione who seemed to be purposefully avoiding his gaze. The lot followed the Professor into the Great Hall and stood at the front of the large room, awaiting further instructions.

The first-years glanced around, noticing the four long tables and all of the older students. Harry felt a bit nervous, but as he looked to the faces of some of the other first-years, he felt relieved. Most of them seemed to be absolutely terrified.

Harry watched as each of the witches and wizards were called to a small stool by Professor McGonagall. As she placed an old musty looking hat on each of the students heads, it spat out one of the four house names. He had read about this in one of the books he bought in Diagon Alley.

He noticed the joy on Hermione's face as she was sorted to Gryffindor. Young Mr. Potter wasn't the last to be called, but he was rather close to it. Once his name did come, though, he felt a bit more nervous than before. As of that moment, everyone in the school knew who he was.

The short walk up to the stool was an awkward one. He heard an assortment of whispering coming from all of the students, and some long glances from more than a few of the professors sitting at the high table.

He had been thinking of what house he would like to be in during the train ride. He liked the idea of being in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. However, now that his currently only 'friend' had already been placed in the house of the lion, Harry was leaning towards Gryffindor. That, and the fact that his parents were also in that house.

As Professor McGonagall gently placed the Sorting Hat on his head, he was a bit surprised. It didn't make a sound. Although some of the other students had taken a while to be sorted, the hat at least made a few pondering sounds. With Harry, though, the hat was dead silent.

When he noticed the faces of many of the students in front of him turn surprised or confusion, he looked to the professor standing next to him. She, also, had quite the perplexed look about her.

All of a sudden, Harry Potter felt a wave of anxiety flood over him. Was there something wrong with him?

As he was looking over his shoulder, he noticed the Headmaster stroking his long silver beard. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, "Something wrong?"

"Silence, please." The old hat chirped.

After what seemed like an eternity, the hat finally spoke, but in a hushed voice so that only Harry and Professor McGonagall could hear, "Very interesting. Very interesting indeed." It said, contemplating for a moment further, "You have a confidence I've rarely seen in a first-year. You have courage, and plenty of it. Also, it seems you are already quite proficient in a few spells, even some more advanced ones."

At this, McGonagall quirked a brow, but didn't say anything just yet. The hat continued, "But enough of that. Why is it that you don't want to be in Slytherin, I wonder. Maybe you fear becoming the one thing you dread most. Ravenclaw, eh? Well, I do suppose you would do well by that house. A brilliant young mind like yours wouldn't disappoint."

Harry took a deep breath. He was just glad none of the other students were hearing any of this. "Gryffindor…maybe. Maybe you can do great things in Gryffindor, but would it suit you? Hmm…I think…I think maybe it would." The hat paused, and then let out a shout, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The entire Gryffindor table started cheering wildly, including Hermione. Harry sighed in relief and quickly made his way over to his new table. As he was being patted on the back and being greeted by his new housemates, he looked back up to Professor McGonagall. The older witch was gazing at him with a look of slight intrigue. Moving his gaze to the Headmaster, Harry noticed the old man smiling, followed by a small nod.

Harry nodded in return, then brought his attention back to the remaining students who still needed to be sorted.

.

The rest of the night seemed to whiz by the young wizard. After the feast, a prefect from Gryffindor, Percy Weasley, showed the first-years up to their common room. Harry had spent a good hour or so being greeted by his new housemates. Finally, as it quieted down a bit, Harry was sitting on one of the couches in the common room. He found a book lying on the end table and decided to start reading. Hermione was sitting next to him, finishing the book Harry had lent her.

As the boy glanced over, he saw Hermione had just finished the book. He folded one of the pages to keep his place, then shifted slightly to face the Gryffindor girl. "Was it any good?"

Hermione smiled, "Yes. It was actually quite informative."

"That's good. This one's about the history of Gryffindor." He mentioned, indicating the book he had just been reading.

As Hermione was about to reply, they both turned to the sound of someone clearing their throat. They saw the red-headed boy who had been in the bout with them earlier that day. "Hi, I'm Ron Weasley."

Harry's face was welcoming, "Hi Ron, I'm Harry Potter, and this is Hermione Granger."

Hermione turned her body so she wasn't straining her neck to look at the newcomer, "Charmed."

Ron nodded, "I was just wondering if you might want to play wizard's chess sometime?" he asked, almost nervously.

Harry smiled. He had read about wizard's chess in one of the journals and it seemed like it would be interesting. "Sure. Now's not a good time though."

Ron grinned, "No, no. That's fine. Just let me know when you want to play." He said as he happily made his way out of the common room.

Harry noticed Hermione had her questioning look. However, before he could inquire, she was already asking, "What else are you doing that you can't play?"

"Well, I'm talking to you, of course."

At this, Hermione averted her gaze. No one ever bothered to talk to her when they could be doing something more interesting. "Don't you want to relax and have some fun?"

Harry chuckled, "Well, this couch is pretty relaxing, and I'm having fun with our conversation."

Hermione smiled, but she couldn't hide the slight embarrassment she was feeling.

After a slight pause on Hermione's part, they talked a bit more about the books until Percy came by. He suggested they get to bed. After all, their first classes started tomorrow.

Hermione was rather quick to heed his advice. She wanted to be well rested so she could learn as much as possible.

Harry, on the other hand, was a little less enthusiastic about going to bed. He wanted to talk a bit longer, but ended up lazily making his way up the stairs to the boy's chambers.

As he lay in bed, he wondered what new experiences he would have the following day. Eventually, he smiled and pulled his sheets up to his shoulders. Slowly, he drifted off to one of the most peaceful sleeps he had ever had.

.

* * *

A/N: Well, there's chapter two for ya. Hope you liked it, and sorry if the ending was a little dull.


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